Residents of Hamilton College House were given an early wake-up call on Saturday when the fire alarm went off around 2:30 a.m.
After initial confusion over the cause of the alarm -- a fire prompted by overcooked microwavable popcorn on the seventh floor -- residents were evacuated. The popcorn was being cooked in seventh floor Residential Adviser Michelle Yeh's microwave, which Yeh left in the hallway for Facilities to pick up because it was not working properly. It is unclear who put the popcorn in the microwave.
The Fire Department responded to the alarm, and students evacuated the building for approximately 45 minutes.
"I was in the middle of a really happy dream," College senior Julie Garson said. "Once I realized what was happening, I jumped out of bed and put on a bathrobe and sneakers."
When she left her room, Garson said she was disturbed to discover that everyone else had chosen to get dressed.
"I never thought I would have to evacuate," she said. "Everyone else seemed to have some sort of clothing item, and I was walking around in a bathrobe."
After the alarm went off, students crowded in the stairwells unsure of what to do.
"People were coming down the stairs, but no one was leaving," College sophomore Livia Levine said.
Levine, whose roommate woke her up, said that after a few minutes, some people above her said that they smelled smoke.
According to Levine, everyone then left in a "surprisingly calm fashion."
"It was a bonding experience," College sophomore Barry Dolinger said.
Dolinger had only just returned to his room when he heard the alarm.
"I thought, 'Oh no, it's a fire,' and decided to have a drink," Dolinger said.
Once he left his room, Dolinger said he saw his floormates milling about.
"It was a very social scene," Dolinger said, adding, "I got to see what everyone wears to sleep in."
After hearing that it was an actual fire, Dolinger tried to go down the stairs to the emergency exit, but no one was moving.
"It took 10 minutes to get down four flights of stairs," Dolinger said. "That's really unsafe."
Still wearing their pajamas, the evacuated residents sprinted to Harrison and Harnwell college houses for refuge.
While some used the 20-minute wait as an opportunity to socialize, others attempted to get a precious few minutes of sleep.
"I went to the lobby of [Harrison] and curled up on the floor and went to sleep," College senior Aaron Lawee said. Lawee said that, to avoid the lines, he remained sleeping there even after residents were allowed back in.
Some residents bypassed the ordeal and stayed in the building throughout the entire evacuation.
"I had some friends who just didn't hear it and slept through the whole thing," Dolinger said.
This prompted House Dean Tabitha Dell'Angelo to send an e-mail to Hamilton residents warning them that failure to leave during a fire alarm is against house rules and will result in a fine.
"I know it sounds harsh to fine people for this behavior, but I am seriously worried about some of you who do not seem to be taking your own safety seriously enough," Dell'Angelo wrote.
Upon returning, the residents passed by the charred microwave that caused the fire, deposited by firefighters at the entrance of the high rise.
"I can't believe we had to evacuate for that," Levine said of the microwave.
